The iTiki Pacific and iTiki Koa iPhone cases are without doubt unique and you, like I, may wonder what all the fuss is about. To kick off your understanding, take a look at the video below-
Yes, it looks like it is eating your iPhone. It has little feet, a butt and small arms just below the home button and it protects you from evil. Sounds crazy right? Well yes it is, but it somehow works. The whole idea behind the cases has been described as follows- “Colored the cool blue of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific is more than just an iPhone case. He’s the silicone incarnation of the same spirit who created the first woman and a whole mess of cool bars. Now the iTiki wants to protect your iPhone, all while shimmering like the cresting waves of an exotic Honolulu beach.”
At first look the iTiki Case doesn’t look quite right and I must admit to struggling with the concept, but it somehow grew on me and I started to appreciate it for what it is. My children love it and so does my wife, and when I took it to work (expecting derision) most people were positive about the design. The colours will suit everyone from surfer dudes to those who simply want something a little different than everyone else. In a world that is starting to overflow with iPhones, adding some personality to the device is a cracking idea and one which could catch on.
The iPhone has sort of lost its cool because it is so prevalent, but adding a simple case can go some way to bringing the cool back and letting the world know that you are different. Everyone wants to be different don’t they? If there is one guarantee I can offer about the iTike case, it is definitely different.
Let’s look at the case from a technical point of view- cases are designed to offer protection and I have no qualms in the area. The silicone (presume it’s silicone?) is thick and robust and will offer more than enough protection for any iPhone. You could probably drop your iPhone from some distance and not damage it at all with this case on it. The outer layer offers good grip and it just feels right in the hand. The striped backing helps grip and strangely so does the butt on the back…
The cut outs are perfectly placed and the camera lens, mute button and headphone jack are easily accessible. Unusually, the home button, volume keys and off/off button are covered, but I had no problems using them at all. It makes sense to cover the home button to stop dust and not enough manufacturers do this in my opinion.
So, technically it is great and when you throw in the charm of owning a case that looks like it is eating your iPhone it is hard not to like it. There are little feet at the bottom alongside two arms and a nose at the top. What’s not to like? After five minutes I did not think I would like the iTiki at all. In fact I thought it was daft initially, but it has proved me wrong.
I am 39 years old, I wear a suit to work, I have a wife and two children. I am the man I never wanted to be when I was 18 years old, but I love my iTiki!
Available from www.tikicase.com for $29.97.
It covers up the sensors on the face, doesn’t it? Do they still work?
Ooh good point. Haven’t checked the light sensor. Will feedback.
I am 48 years old, I too have a wife and 2 kids…I am the man that NOBODY would have wanted to be when they were 18 however even I cannot fail to see that that case is iffy. It looks about a foot thick.
To be fair Murray- even 48 year olds don’t want to be you either;) It isn’t that thick at all, but it does look so in the photos.
I got this case in yesterday and have used it off and on with my other cases. I was really liking it, too, but tonight I realized that the sensors definitely don’t work at the top of the iPhone. I thought that wouldn’t be a problem, but the proximity sensor is pretty important – here’s an example. The screen doesn’t turn off when you’re on a call. I was on a call and actually got the screen to turn off (probably because I pulled at the case to see if the ear speaker was affected. When I finished the call and pulled the phone away from my face the screen didn’t turn on again, and I couldn’t hang up the call. The only way to get it to work again was to turn off the phone and turn it back on or pull the case away from the sensor enough for the sensor to “sense”. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it is annoying. If the little nostril-looking cutouts above the screen would have been placed a little more strategically then the sensors would still work. Oh, well. I still like the case.
Have just emailed the manufacturer about this Tom. Apologies- I should have checked that during the review process and will await their feedback. I agree, that is a potential big problem.